Manufacture of textile materials



Sept. 14, 1937. H. DREYFUS MANUFAGTURE OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed NQV- l' 1933 Q1 JI. ......QQ. .......N..-........................... ...55...

Q .NN....4.w...-.-................

............ N N...N...................

FIG-

Fatentecl Sept. 14,' 1937 4UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application November i, 193s, serial No. 696,184 Great Britain November 10, 1932v 2 claims. (ci. lisi-1) This invention relates to the manufacture of textile materials, and in particular to yarns having a basis of continuous filaments, but having the appearance of spun yarn, that is yarn made 5 from staple fibre.

In the manufacture of spun yarn from artificial fibres, the usual practice is to cut continuous artificial filaments or waste laments into comparatively short lengths, for example of 11/2 to 2 inches or more to produce a staple of similar length to cotton fibres or of. 4, 7, 9, 12 inches or more to produce a staple somewhat similar in length to wool, and then subject the staple bres produced alone or mixed with other natural or l5 artificial bres of suitable length to a series ,of operations appropriate to the length of the libre, such operations being similar to those accorded to natural fibres such as cotton or wool, including opening, carding, drawing and spinning. These operations represent considerable expense in the production of such yarns, since they involve a relatively slow transformation of the initial fibrous material to a nished yarn.

It is possible, however, to effect the direct conversion of continuous filament yarn into spun yarn by subjecting the filament bundle to a sufflcient tension to eiect breakage of the lament and the production of a mass of bres of substantially uniform length.

It has been found, however, that in relying on the extension of the filaments beyond their breaking point `to transform the filaments into staple lengths, the consequent reduction in extensibility is somewhat disadvantageous in the final. product, for, notwithstanding the fact that the product consists of discontinuous lengths instead of continuous lengths as in the bundle from which it was produced, the relatively low extensibility of the separate libres results in the product having .an elasticity which may be` so low as to limit the applicability of. the yarn for many textile purposes.

It has now been found, however, that the elongation of the spun yarn can be restored at least partially by a suitable conditioning treat- ,ment applied at any convenient stage after the conversion of the continuous lament yarn into the staple fibre product. Thus, for example, the twisted product may be subjected to the action of steam or to any suitable agent or treatment by means of which shrinkage and/or softening` of the stretched fibres is brought about. This treatment may be effected after the nal degree of twist has been imparted, and even after two or moreof the spun yarns have been doubled together, or it may be eiected at an intermediate stage of the twisting. For example, after twisting by means of a yer spindle (conveniently continuously with the conversion of the filaments into staple lengths), the relatively lightly twisted 5 yarn may be steamedor otherwise conditioned and thereafter further twisted or doubled.` If desired the conditioning ma'y be effected two or more times conveniently between diiferent twist-fing operations. 10

The shrinking or softening treatment is particularly applicable in the production of spun yarns from continuous filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic derivatives of cellulose, but may be applied to the production of spun yarns 15 from all kinds of continuous or staple bre lilaments, such as viscose, nitrocellulose and cuprammonium laments.

While the conditioning treatment may be applied to the spun yarns or bres of which the 20 yarns are being made while they are travelling, it is convenient to eiect the treatment while the material is wound into packages produced conl tinuously with the conversion of the laments into staple fibres, or packages produced by re- 25 winding, e. g. hanks. Thus, these packages may be placed in a cabinet for a period and there subjected to the action of steam or any other conditioning agent. Such packages may consist of completely vspun yarn, or they may consist of 30 an intermediate product such as a sliver or roving, which is subsequently to be submitted to further operations, for example drawing and spinning. The material may indeed be submitted to treatment more than'once. Thus it may be 35 treated as aroving, and again as a finished yarn.

Where yarns are to be treated in the form of wound packages, steps maybe taken to prevent the supports on which the packages are carried from constraining the yarn and preventing it 40 from shrinking. It will' be understood that the shrinkage of a package of yarns involves a reduction in diameter throughout the package, and the removal of constraint enables this reduction y to have free play irrespective of the support upon '45 which the yarn is wound to form a package.` Where a relatively large package of ryarn such as a cone, cheese'or like package of yarn or roving is being treated, it is preferable that the material kshould be slackly wound on the core, that is, wound under a lowL tension or under no tension, so Athat* the looseness of the package may be taken upwhen theyarn or roving on'the package is causedtoshrink. Alternatively, in the case of cones of yarn, a conical former having a relaslightly on the former towards the apex thereof. Furthermore, a support may be used which is itself capable of reduction in diameter and susceptible of being compressed by the shrinking of the yarn or roving wound upon it. Thus, for example,l the package `support may consist of a piece of sheet material, such as a thin and springy metal sheet, bent into the form of a cylinder or cone, the edges of the sheet overlapping to form a support which is capableof reduction in diameter by the sliding of one edge of the sheet over the other. A package support `of this form may be employed as the sole support for the package or may be provided with any suitable reinforcement which still permits of its reduction in size. Thus for example, in the formation of the package, the sheet maybe bent around a former and the yarn may be -wound thereon, while for the conditioning treatment of the package, the package with its metal sheet support may be removed from the winding former and placed upon a slightly smaller former, which,

while supporting the package, permits a reduction in diameter of the package and' of the metal sheet cylinder on which it is carried. In order to facilitate the conditioning treatment, the sheet of material-on winch the package is wound may be perforated to render it permeable to the agents employedV in the shrinking operation.

Small packages of yarn such as cops, as employed in weaving, may be treated in a similar manner. Thus, they may be wound, preferably by a ring spinning operation, which may beeffected continuously with th breaking'of the continuous laments,'on cores capable of being I reduced in diameter. The package so formed is then subjected to conditioningtreatment, the thin sheet' core being either the sole support of the package or'being carried on a former of smaller size than the spindle upon which it was fitted 'While' the package was wound. The thin l sheet material forming the basis of the package may either a cylinder or it may comprise a long ribbon Wound helically around the spindle of the 'ring or like twisting device to form a basis for the package during the operation of twisting and packaging.

As is indicated above, while steam or other conditioning medium may be applied to the spun yarn-or intermediate product while it is travelling, it is convenient to eiect the treatment wrile the yarn isfwound on bobbins, for example on bobbins produced at the flyer spindle continuously with the conversion of the laments. Thus, these bobbins may be placed in a cabinet for a period, and there subjected tothe action of steam. l

Instead of steam, shrinkage and/or softening may be effected by means of aqueous liquids such as soap solutions, lor even water. As other liquid agents which are especially suitable for bringing about shrinkage and/or softening of cellulose acetate or other cellulose derivative filaments may be mentioned acetic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, diacetone alcohol, acetone, the ethers, including the cyclic ethers, esters and ether-esters of olene and polyolene glycols, for instance the mnoand di-methyl and ethyl ethers of ethylene glycol, glycol mono-acetate, methyl glycol mono-acetate, the mono-methyl and ethyl ethers of propylene glycol, the mono-ethyl ether of diethylene glycol, dioxane, methylene ethylene vwhich is then removed lcomprise a sheet twisted .once into,y

' ried upon. a former dioxide and the homologues and substitution products of these cyclic ethers, phenols, mono, diand tri-acetins, ethyl lactate, diethyl tartrate andthe like, methylene chloride, ethylene chloride, chloroform, ethylene, ethyl acetate and .like latent solvents for the cellulose derivatives, either alone or pref- -tetrachlorethane, dichlorerably modified as regards' their action on the chlorethylene, perchlorethylene and other chlorinated or halogenated compounds which are inertor comparatively inert towards the cellulose derivative. Solvent action on the material should be regulated in order to ensure that nosubstantial cementation of bre to bre takes place.

The conditioning agent may be applied in liquid form, `e. g. in a scouring operation or ,by forcing it through the yarn wound on perforated tubes, `or asa vapour, any suitable manner, e. g. by washing, centrifuging, evaporation, or any combination of these methods. Thus for example, the whole treatment may be carried out in a hydro extractor, a number of large packages such as cones or cheeses or of smaller packages such as cops being` placedv in the extractor and treated for the desired time with the liquid conditioning agent,

operation may be followed by a washing operation, the material being dried pr partially dried by a further centrifuging.

By way of example some forms of package supports which may be used for the purposes of the present invention are illustrated in the accom-A panying drawing in whichz- Figure 1 is a sectional viewof a cross-wound cone of yarn, and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 show a pirn of yarn together with the means employed for carrying it.

In Figure 1 the yarn 5 is wound upon a package support 6 consisting of a sheet. of metal vbent in the form of a cone, the edges 1 of the sheet overlapping. The package support 6 is car- 8 during winding, and for conditioning the yarn 5 is removed from -the former 8 and placed upon a smaller former which will allow the edges 1 of the package support 6 to slide over one another so that the yarn 5 may contract.

Figure 2 shows aspindle I0 carried in a bearing Il and driven by means of a whorl' l2. The`55 spindle 'l0 is suitably shaped to carry a pirn tube as shown in Figure', the pirn being built by suitable traversing as the yarn is being twisted and wound The pirn tube I3 consists of a flexible strip helically wound over the spindle I0, the edges of the strip overlapping as at I4. The yarn is wound on as shown at l5. In order to submit the yarn 5 to shrinking treatment the,pa`ckage is removed from the spindle I0 and placed upon a former I6 which, being smaller in diameter than the spindle. I0,.allows the pirn tube I3 and the yarn 5 to contract, the pirn tube yielding under the shrinking action of the yarn. l

and may be removed in' series, carbon tetrachloride, trit by centrifuging.v This` The following are examples of modes in which the invention may be carried out:-

Ezcample 1 A yarn consisting .of staple lengths of cellulose acetate lament, produced by breaking contin.

uous laments, is wound in the form of a cone of moved from the former and immersed in live steam for six hours. After this treatment the package is ready to be used, e. g. in a knitting operation, or for rewinding into smaller packages.

Example 2 A number of pirns ofthe yarn described in Example 1, Wound on tubes consisting of spirally' Wound strips of sheet metal as described above with reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, are placed in a centrifuge. and there treated with a. solution of 50% by volume of methylene chloride in benzene at 15 C. The treating liquid is removed by cenyarn from continuous filaments, said process comprising associating continuous iaments together with at least a slight twist, converting said continuous laments into staple lengths by extending them to breaking point, winding the material intoa package upon a support adapted to yield to shrinkage of the material thereon, and submitting the package to a shrinking operation to restore at least in part the extensibility lost by the material in the breaking operation.

2. Process for the production of staple fibre yarn from continuous filaments, said process comprising associating continuous laments together with atleast a slight twist, converting said continuous illaments into staple lengths by extending them to breaking point, winding the material into a package upon a support comprising -sheet material having free overlapping edges' and submitting the package so formed to a shrinking operation to restore at least in part the extensibility lost by the material in the breaking operation, the package support yielding to the shrinking of the material.

f HENRY DREYFUS. 

